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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Jun 21, 1942
Page
1
The piece weighs the combined Allied and Axis moves from Coral Sea to Midway to Libya, noting a shift toward harsher realities. It forecasts a summer of renewed bad news, urging skepticism about German “miracles” and emphasizing continued Axis emphasis on favorable weather for victory.
Soviet high command reports fierce fighting around Sevastopol on the fifteenth day of the siege. German forces push near Kharkov as Red Army counters north toward the Donets and Caucasus. Tass notes German casualties and delays in capturing Sevastopol, while defenders hold with heavy losses to the attackers.
The editorial urges readying for tougher war months behind Axis lines and praises US and Allied gains while cautioning against complacency. It notes flaws in war administration but argues progress depends on making programs work. It comments on Iowa fair cancellation and unusually persistent June weather.
Berlin dispatch reports from German broadcasts that the artillery bombardment at Sevastopol is so intense that it shakes houses along the Turkish coast, 200 miles away across the Black Sea, and locals mistook it for an earthquake.
Two Marines were killed in a plane collision near San Diego California as reported by AP. The incident involved military aircraft and prompted investigations by base authorities and military officials. Further details on the cause and identities were not immediately released.
Senator Ellison D. Smith urges Congress to pass laws dictating who shall be drafted and who shall not and to prevent draft officials from sole discretion. He criticizes deferments for married men with dependents and warns that farm workers and family men are at risk as the selective service system operates. He calls Congress to take responsibility and set clear guidelines.
Two Cedar Rapids sailors recount their Lexington combat experiences as Bob Chesley and Quintin D. Davis share memories of the carrier’s battle and the return home. Davis explains his role as mount captain for a pom pom gun during the attack, and both men express resolve to end the war quickly.
Cedar Rapids workers at LaPlant-Choate plant honored three Lexington survivors, Frank Divis and Marvin Melsha of the Navy and Bernard Butler of the Marines. Divis helped Melsha into a whaleboat after abandoning the carrier. Butler showed shrapnel and a lighter from the ship as proof of the peril endured.
The Central News Agency reports Chinese forces aided by heavy artillery have cut the Canton Yutan segment of the Canton Hankow railway and stormed Yutan. They crossed the Pa River under bombardment, driving toward Canton while Chinese defenses repel Japanese counterattacks in a key South China front.
Allied bombing planes broke through Japanese fighter defenses and struck air bases at Rabaul and Lae, destroying two enemy bombers on the ground and hitting wharf installations in the raid announced by General MacArthur's headquarters.
Barney Lee a 14 year old farm boy became San Quentin prison's youngest inmate after being convicted of killing his uncle Dick Payne 36 on their Monterey ranch. He was assigned to hospital work to be kept separate from older inmates and will receive additional schooling. Prosecutors said he claimed he killed his uncle after a dispute over a will and he faces a possible sentence from five years to life.
About 1200 Linn County Boy Scout and Cub units plan a three day house to house salvaged rubber drive for the Rubber for War committee. They will canvass 30 Cedar Rapids districts and nearby towns, collecting cast off rubber goods donated for cash payments to troops.
British radio reported from the North African front that Axis troops probably entered Bardia near the Egyptian border. Cairo described an assault by German parachute troops and dive bombers on encircled Tobruk after an Axis thrust neared the new defense line.
Berlin reports in a special communique that more than 20,000 British troops have been captured by German and Italian forces during recent fighting in North Africa.
STOCKHOLM UP Germany has begun mass production of pocket U boats similar to Japanese models. They will be distributed along the invasion front from Norway to the Gulf of Biscay as part of a section against threatened red moves. The pocket subs carry five crewmen and two engines.
Colonel Roscoe Turner criticizes the army air force for drafting experienced civilian aviators into non aviation roles while the service remains short of pilots. He cites an air school instructor turned clerk and argues British trainees in the U S are failing at high rates as American manpower becomes the sole reserve for combat flyers.
A 13th naval district spokesman says Japanese invaders on the Aleutian islands are repeatedly struck when fog clears. He cites weather, fog, and snow as key factors in the campaign, noting the battle continues and attacks on Dutch Harbor were repelled.
London reports a large RAF force estimated at 1000 bombers and fighters struck Le Havre and other northern French targets. The attack concentrated on German industrial areas with bombers including American built Boston aircraft and heavy hits on Boulogne Calais and Dunkirk. Four enemy fighters were shot down and six British planes failed to return.
An announcement may come within days about the secret conference between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. The leaders continued talks at an undisclosed U S location and were believed to be weighing decisions with far reaching war impact. No statement was expected until Churchill returns to London.
Police tried Saturday to patch together two stories from a black zipper fitted overnight bag found at Fifteenth Avenue and C Street SW. The bag was brought to Patrolmen John Stodola and Bill. Several pounds of fresh green herb were found inside.
The U S Navy disclosed that enemy mines, laid by a submarine, caused the sinking of one merchant ship and damaged another off the Virginia coast. Survivors described flying debris and radio disruption as the ships reached port with minimal injuries.
Berlin radio dispatch quoted York Dr Emil Hacha president of the Bohemia Moravia protectorate stating that Eduard Benes former Czechoslovak president has been expatriated. Benes resigned after Munich, went to Britain to organize a government in exile and declare war on the German-allied government on July 21 1940.
Des Moines AP reports state offices to pool truck shipments in Iowa by July 1. M. P. Christianson secretary of the farm to market association said the plan aims to streamline distribution and lower costs.
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